Boria Majumdar in London
Sunil Gavaskar arrives
The Dilip Sardesai masterclass of 212 had given the Indians a lot of confidence in the first Test in Jamaica in 1971. And the confidence gained was on display as the team played its next tour game in St Kitts. Playing the Leeward islands, India decided on resting all three frontline spinners, Bedi, Prasanna and Venkat, and yet managed to bowl the opponents out for 147 in the first innings with Jaisimha picking five. This was in response to the Indian score of 361-6 declared, an innings that saw Sunil Gavaskar bat for the first time in the series. “If anyone told me at the start of the series that I will score 774 runs in the Test matches after missing the first Test and score more than 1000 runs on the tour, I would have laughed it off. Of course it exceeded my own expectations and that too by a country mile,” said Gavaskar.
Gavaskar, who had regained full fitness by the time the Indians had reached St Kitts, started the tour with a well-made 82, an early indication of what he was capable of. With skipper Wadekar notching up a century, India was always in control of this game and was left with 57 to get off 12 overs to register their first win of the tour on the last day. That’s when, as KN Prabhu reported, the crowd witnessed the free-flowing side of the young 21-year-old sensation. “Gavaskar proved that he could open the innings in the orthodox fashion as we last saw him and also bat like a gay cavalier. The six he hit off Willette put the issue beyond doubt for India. But a cover drive to a ball wide outside his off stump was visually the most thrilling stroke of the day. He should go forth to his first Test match in Trinidad inspired by the same spirit that permeated his innings today,” argued Prabhu.
In a subsequent dispatch titled, “India has reason to feel optimistic”, Prabhu argued that the pitch at the Queens Park Oval was likely to suit the Indian spinners more than the West Indian quicks. He rounded off the piece saying Gavaskar, who was making his Test debut, had already proved his credentials and was going into the match with an average of over 100 on tour, something the West Indians would be conscious of.
Prabhu was right. With 65 in the first and 67 not out in the second innings, India had finally found its successor to Vijay Merchant, and to echo Prabhu, someone who had the ability to be an all-time great of the game. While it was Sardesai, Gavaskar and Solkar with the bat in Trinidad, it was Venkat and Bedi with the ball, not to forget the indomitable Salim Durrani in the West Indian second innings. Having managed a lead of 137 runs in the first innings, every Indian player was conscious they had a chance to register their first ever win against the West Indies. And when they eventually did, history was made.
The Indians, Prabhu wrote, celebrated in style at a reception organised for them by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Eric Williams, at the Hilton Hotel in Port of Spain. The members of the touring press were also invited to the reception and to quote Prabhu, “the presence of the various carnival queens succeeded in pressing a sober and solemn member of the press corps to ‘jump up’ as well.” It was a much-needed evening of relaxation, he went on to say, after what had been an exciting game with the initiative changing hands. Speaking to the press after the victory, skipper Wadekar complemented his teammates for their cooperation on and off the field.
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